With the girls’ light-skinned cousin Kay (Shari Sebbens) roped in, Dave becomes their manager and The Cummeragunja Song Birds are transformed into new soul-sensations The Sapphires.

This is 1968 and white Australians aren’t ready for their own version of The Supremes.

But Dave knows a place where there are thousands of brothers who are just desperate to be entertained.

After he makes the band’s sound “more black”, they win a contract with the US military and head off to Vietnam.

The horrors of that terrible confl ict are lightly touched upon, as are racial tensions and the infamous Australian government programme that sanctioned the forced removal of thousands of mixed-race kids from Aboriginal communities.

But no matter what horrors are thrown at you, you always know a toe-tapping soul classic is only minutes away.

Versions of Hold On, I’m Comin’, What a Man and Who’s Loving You? are brilliantly staged, enthusiastically performed and beautifully sung by Mauboy.

At times, the drama feels dangerously underpowered and, inspite of the girls’ tough upbringing, their rise to the top goes surprisingly smoothly.

The entirely justified objections of the sisters’ parents are quickly batted aside, Dave’s love of booze proves more slapstick than dangerous and concerts mainly go off without a hitch.

Thankfully, the two main leads completely deliver.

Last year’s comedy smash Bridesmaids turned The IT Crowd’s O’Dowd from a British TV star into one of the most sought-after comic actors in Hollywood.

Not only does his expert timing keep the laughs rolling in here but he gets to show off his dramatic skills too.

It helps that he is paired with the excellent Mailman, who plays The Sapphires’ feisty, over-protective “momma bear” Gail.

They’re an odd couple but a very believable one.

And their spiky but rather sweet relationship provides a nice counterbalance to the film’s thumping musical numbers.